Actors, Studios Still Far From a Deal

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After more than two weeks of negotiations, studios and the Screen Actors Guild appear to have made little headway toward a new contract, the Los Angeles Times reports.


Despite mounting pressure on both sides to avert another costly walkout after the 100-day writers strike, the talks have bogged down over how much actors should be paid across both new- and old-media platforms, said people close to the negotiations who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss them publicly.


Guild negotiators are pushing for significant improvements in the proposed three-year contract above what writers and directors negotiated in their recent deals. Among other things, actors are seeking to double what they earn from the sale of DVDs, on grounds that the formula has remained unchanged since 1986.


Studios, however, have refused to budge, saying DVD revenue is needed to offset rising production and marketing costs.


The sluggish pace of the talks suggests the parties could fail to hammer out a contract by Friday, barring a last-minute breakthrough. That’s the end of the three-week period that studios and actors had set aside to reach a new agreement.


Although the actors contract doesn’t expire until June 30, negotiations are expected to go down to the wire, creating more uncertainty about a potential work stoppage that would shut down most film and TV production.


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